Field of Invention
This invention pertains generally to trailers for hauling heavy equipment and other large, heavy loads and, more particularly to a heavy equipment trailer with an adjustable deck.
Related Art
Trailers for transporting construction equipment and other large, heavy loads (referred to herein generically as heavy equipment trailers) typically have elongated decks supported toward the rear by ground engaging wheels, with means toward the fronts of the decks for connecting the trailers to tractors or other pulling vehicles. The connection is commonly made with a gooseneck which can be detached from the deck to allow the equipment to be loaded onto the deck from the front. The gooseneck can either be a rigid structure that must be raised and lowered manually, or it can have a hydraulically operated lifting mechanism built into it. Examples of trailers with rigid and hydraulically operated gooseneck assemblies are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,326,572 and 6,378,887.
When the front end of the deck is raised and lowered with a hydraulically operated gooseneck, the deck pivots about the wheels at the rear and is tilted at an angle that corresponds to the height to which the front end is lifted. With the axis of tilt beneath the rear portion of the deck, the rear portion remains at a substantially constant height throughout the range of lift, and there can be only one height at which the deck is in a level running position.